Mocatta family

The Mocatta family is an Anglo-Jewish family with Sephardic Jewish roots in Spain and Portugal. Its ancestors sought refuge in Amsterdam and Venice before moving to England in the 1650s, during the period when Jewish settlement in England was being re-established under Oliver Cromwell. The family became one of the early Jewish families admitted to England and later developed a long-standing presence in London’s commercial, religious, legal and charitable life. The family’s most important commercial institution was the bullion business founded by Moses Mocatta in London in 1671. That enterprise later became Mocatta & Goldsmid and grew into one of the leading bullion-broking firms in the world. Its activities connected London with overseas markets, including India from 1676 and China from the 1720s. The firm was licensed to operate at the Royal Exchange from 1710 and acted for more than a century as an exclusive bullion broker to the Bank of England. Its work covered the trading and intermediation of gold and silver and contributed to the development of London’s precious-metals market. Mocatta & Goldsmid was also associated with important mechanisms for precious-metals price discovery. In cooperation with N. M. Rothschild, the firm helped establish the silver- and gold-pricing arrangements introduced in 1897 and 1919, respectively, which continued to influence bullion-market practice into the 21st century. Members of the family also participated in periods of market stress. Edgar Mocatta was associated with efforts to resolve the Indian silver crisis of 1913, while the firm was involved in providing liquidity and stability after the Hunt brothers’ attempted silver corner in 1980. The family’s commercial influence was unusually durable. From the firm’s establishment in 1671 through the 1970s, Mocatta & Goldsmid was headed by only seven men. The family eventually sold its interest in the business and withdrew from bullion dealing in the late 20th century, ending its direct role in the sector while preserving a broader legacy in commerce, philanthropy and public life. Mocatta family members were prominent in Anglo-Jewish communal institutions. They were involved in the establishment and support of Bevis Marks Synagogue, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the West London Synagogue of British Jews. Ten members of the family served as chairmen or presidents of the West London Synagogue, while others held leadership roles connected with the Board of Deputies, the Board of Shechita, Jews’ College and the elders of Bevis Marks. The family also participated in campaigns for Jewish parliamentary emancipation and in responses to persecution of Jews in Romania and Bessarabia. Philanthropy formed another major part of the family’s public identity. Members supported relief for the Jewish poor, famine relief in Ireland, Jewish communal welfare organizations and housing initiatives for low-income Londoners. Frederic Mocatta helped found the Industrial Dwellings Society, while David Mocatta provided funding for significant parts of the Royal Marsden’s buildings. Other family members served as governors or patrons of institutions including Moorfields Eye Hospital. Through these activities, the Mocattas became associated with the Anglo-Jewish network sometimes called the “cousinhood,” alongside families such as the Rothschilds, Goldsmids, Montagus, Montefiores and Samuels. The name is also associated with notable figures in architecture, medicine, law, scholarship, art collecting and public administration. David Mocatta was a pioneering British Jewish architect and designed Brighton railway station. Sir Alan Abraham Mocatta was a judge and leader of London’s Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community. Edgar Mocatta was a major figure in the silver trade and was known as the “Silver King.” Other members included the physician and art collector Annie Mildred Mocatta, the essayist and philanthropist Jacob Mocatta, and relatives connected with the Montefiore and Kadoorie families. Today, Mocatta is best understood as a historic family name and institutional legacy rather than as an independent contemporary consumer brand.

The Mocatta family traces its ancestry to Sephardic Jewish communities in the Iberian Peninsula before the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions. Earlier generations lived in Amsterdam and Venice before immigrating to England in the 1650s. The family was among the first twelve Jewish families admitted to England during the restoration of Jewish communal life in the country. In 1671, Moses Mocatta founded a London business that later became Mocatta & Goldsmid. The enterprise developed into a major bullion-broking house and helped establish London as an international center for precious-metals trading. It traded with India from 1676 and with China from the 1720s, and it was licensed at the Royal Exchange from 1710. For more than a century, the firm served as the exclusive bullion broker to the Bank of England. A Mocatta managing partner’s evidence before the 1810 parliamentary Select Committee on the High Price of Gold Bullion illustrates the firm’s unusually strong position in the British bullion trade. The family business remained influential in later market developments. In association with N. M. Rothschild, Mocatta & Goldsmid helped create the silver price-fixing process in 1897 and the gold price-fixing process in 1919. These mechanisms became important reference points for precious-metals markets well into the 20th and early 21st centuries. Edgar Mocatta, a senior partner active from 1900 to 1957, was known for his influence in silver and was nicknamed the “Silver King.” He also participated in attempts to resolve the Indian silver crisis of 1913. In 1980, the firm was involved in supplying liquidity and stability after the Hunt brothers’ attempted corner of the silver market. The continuity of family management was notable: from 1671 to the 1970s, the business was headed by only seven men. During the late 20th century, the family sold its stake and left the bullion business. The commercial enterprise therefore ceased to be the central expression of the family’s identity, although the Mocatta name remained connected with the history of global bullion markets. Alongside commerce, the family played a sustained role in British Jewish communal affairs. Members helped establish or support Bevis Marks Synagogue, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the West London Synagogue of British Jews. Moses Mocatta served as president of the Board of Deputies, and ten family members served as chairman or president of the West London Synagogue. Other relatives held positions in organizations concerned with religious governance, education and communal administration. The family supported campaigns for Jewish parliamentary emancipation and organized or participated in responses to persecution and humanitarian crises affecting Jewish communities abroad. Mocatta philanthropy extended beyond specifically Jewish institutions. Family members assisted famine relief in Ireland, supported organizations aiding the Jewish poor and participated in charitable housing work. Frederic Mocatta was a founder of the Industrial Dwellings Society, which sought to provide decent accommodation for poor London residents. David Mocatta funded substantial parts of the Royal Marsden, an institution dedicated to cancer treatment and research. Three members served as Honorary Life Governors of Moorfields Eye Hospital. Several members achieved distinction outside the bullion trade. David Mocatta became the first Jewish member of an architectural profession in Great Britain and designed Brighton Station. Sir Alan Abraham Mocatta was a senior judge and a leader of London’s Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community. Annie Mildred Mocatta practiced medicine and collected art in South Australia. Other family members were associated with literature, scholarship, law, public service and prominent Anglo-Jewish families, including the Montefiores and Kadoories. The family’s history is consequently best characterized as a combination of merchant enterprise, communal leadership, cultural patronage and philanthropy rather than as the history of a modern mass-market brand.

• 1980

  Post-Hunt silver-market stabilization

  [1]Mocattaen.wikipedia.org

  Mocatta was involved in providing liquidity and stability after the attempted Hunt brothers’ corner of the silver market.

• 1957

  End of Edgar Mocatta’s partnership

  [1]Mocattaen.wikipedia.org

  Edgar Mocatta, a dominant figure in the silver trade, ended his period as a partner after more than five decades of involvement.

• 1919

  Gold price discovery mechanism established

  [1]Mocattaen.wikipedia.org

  The firm and N. M. Rothschild were associated with the establishment of the London gold-pricing process.

• 1897

  Silver price discovery mechanism established

  [1]Mocattaen.wikipedia.org

  Mocatta & Goldsmid and N. M. Rothschild were associated with the creation of the London silver-pricing process.

• 1710

  Royal Exchange licence

  [1]Mocattaen.wikipedia.org

  The firm was licensed at the Royal Exchange and later served the Bank of England as an exclusive bullion broker for more than a century.

• 1676

  International trade with India begins

  [1]Mocattaen.wikipedia.org

  The Mocatta business began trading with India, expanding its role in international precious-metals commerce.

• 1671

  Moses Mocatta establishes the family firm

  [1]Mocattaen.wikipedia.org

  Moses Mocatta founded the London enterprise that later became Mocatta & Goldsmid and developed into a leading international bullion broker.

• 1650

  Mocatta ancestors immigrate to England

  [1]Mocattaen.wikipedia.org

  After earlier refuge in Amsterdam and Venice, members of the Sephardic family moved to England in the 1650s and became among the first Jewish families admitted during the re-establishment of Jewish life in England.

A historic London bullion-broking and merchant family associated with precious-metals market infrastructure, Anglo-Jewish communal leadership and philanthropy.

• Precious-metals brokerage · 1671

  Mocatta & Goldsmid bullion brokerage

  The family’s principal commercial activity was the brokerage and intermediation of gold and silver. Founded in London in 1671, the business connected British and overseas markets, including India and China, and became one of the world’s leading bullion brokers. It also acted for more than a century as an exclusive bullion broker to the Bank of England.

• Market infrastructure · 1897

  London gold and silver price discovery

  Through its association with N. M. Rothschild, Mocatta & Goldsmid helped establish the silver and gold pricing arrangements introduced in 1897 and 1919. These mechanisms provided widely used reference prices for precious-metals trading and influenced market practice into the 21st century.

• 1980

  Provide liquidity after the Hunt silver cornerStrategy

  Background

  The attempted Hunt brothers’ corner of the silver market created severe stress and volatility in the silver market.

  Action taken

  Mocatta participated in efforts to provide liquidity and support market stability.

  Aftermath

  The episode became one of the notable later examples of the firm’s role in precious-metals market stabilization.

  Source

• 1975

  Exit from the bullion businessStrategy

  Background

  After roughly three centuries of family involvement in bullion brokerage, the family’s commercial role was approaching a transition.

  Action taken

  The family sold its stake in the business and exited bullion dealing in the late 20th century.

  Aftermath

  The Mocatta legacy continued primarily through family philanthropy, communal leadership and historical association with precious-metals markets.

  Source

• 1913

  Intervention during the Indian silver crisisOther

  Background

  The Indian silver market experienced a crisis requiring intervention and stabilization.

  Action taken

  Edgar Mocatta took a notable role in efforts to end the crisis.

  Aftermath

  The episode strengthened the family firm’s historical association with international bullion-market stabilization.

  Source

1. 1Mocattaen.wikipedia.org